I've seen plenty of bison in my life. One of my family's favorite things to do is to feed them bread at a Game Farm about an hour from my house. Those long, slimy tongues leave a distinct tongue print on your vehicle and windows. It is expected.What wasn't expected on my Montana trip was a large herd of buffalo on the roadside! I didn't realize that raising bison was a going concern on the Blackfeet Rez, not to mention the National Bison Preserve is located fairly close by. I suppose the thing that shocked me was their numbers and each of them had an ear tag like cattle do. It's one thing to see one of these animals next to your rig, but imagining hunting them from a running herd en masse was an eye opener.Sure, times have changed, but I doubt the basic draw of the hunt hasn't. A hunter, his horse and a bow against a huge animal with horns. He didn't have the luxury of sitting in a steel chariot. If all I had was a horse and bow there'd be much more than buffalo chips spread across the Great Plains!It all told me that these were a sturdy people. It's no wonder they were feared by other tribes.

Author

My paternal Great Grandfather was full-blood Cherokee and his wife was full-blood Kickapoo. The rest of me is a Euro-mix.I retired from the Fire Department in 2005 and have been writing since 2009. I have four grown kids and a Grandson, plus twin Granddaughters born in January of 2014, which qualifies me for treatment of PTSD, I'm sure!